I've been collecting bikes now for two years, currently 16 bikes that are keepers - 3 Viners _ Pinarello _ Guerciotti _ Wilier _ Denti _ Paletti _ Moser _ Olmo _ Tommasini _ Bianchi _ Torpado _ Gazelle _ Porsche Fs Mountain bike _ Porsche R Road Bike . Mostly 70's and 80's Italian bikes. My criterion for inclusion is Steel frame, availability of Decals [ even if they don't require restoration ] and if it is listed on the Sheldon Brown web site. My advice to anyone thinking of getting a bike is that there is no substitute for Quality. A crap bike will always be a crap bike no matter how you dress it up. If you can't afford a good bike, then save for it, it will last longer require less effort to maintain and gives back in pride of ownership. Just my opinion.

My advice would be if you are a newbie like me; make sure you have basic tools and a few bicycle tools such as crank remover, rear cassette tools,digital vernier caliper (total tools $20) etc, grab any old road bike you come across for free, pull them apart for practice, put every nut and bolt, brake pieces, headstem etc in a bin for later. Try and figure out your size frame as it is no use doing up a frame that is the wrong size. I have practice rebuilt a few crappy steel frames and they come up really good. I have gone from National to Centurion and now next project will be Repco Olympic 12. Have a budget in mind as it is easy to spend money on even old crappy steel framed bikes. Having said that some times it is cheaper to buy a new component than to repair an old one. I recently spent ages on a wheel cleaning it up, only to find out it would really cost me more thean $50 to fix it properly. It needed a buckle fixed and new bearings/axle fitted. Local shop had a pair of new Shimano wheels for $100, or $50 ea and they are heaps lighter and look a lot better. If you strip/powdercoat a frame and replace major components, tyres, tubes etc, $300 does not go far, but as I say to my wife, "what price do you put on the fun of fixing an old bike and taking it for that first ride". I recently read by a forum member that its a waste of time doing up old steel no name bikes. Well I disagree to a certain extent. They are great to practice and learn on. One day I will come across a really nice Italian, French bike to do up, but I will keep learning until I am confident, (and keep hiding frames from my wife). I will post my Centurion rebuild soon, just waiting on some last minute parts, but I am riding it, and the best part..it was destined for the tip. I tell my kids it is ReCycling.

Hi Mustang, no, I ride all my bikes, so their frames range from 55cm - 57cm top tube. I highly recommend Viner bikes, under-rated in Australia. My favorite bike is a Viner Professional, I don't know why, it feels and rides better than any other bike I've ridden. Bought for $240.00 at an action in Melbourne, it is Mint condition without any wear to the original group set and decals. Not bad for a 30 year old bike [ I think it was ridden for a few hundred K's and then stored]. That's why I say don't buy a crap bike and spend a lot of time and money on them. Some of my bikes have cost me a lot of money yet others are have been cheap [ even on ebay bikes sneak through because the seller doesn't know / ms-descibes what he has ]. Cheers.

Agree about the Viners. Something about them feels just right. Planning to do a few basic bits to this Special Professional I picked up. But not very much considering it's at least 30 years old. Big fan.

TalluDe wrote:However, I want to ride it and was wondering did they make bigger frames back in the day? like 61cm to 64cam or 24 inches in the old money.

Kinda want an old Gitane as my first bike few years back was one. Are the older Gitanes any good?

Yes,big frames were made but lots of big people around in the USA so the prices tend to zoom.Gitane, yes they are a much underestimated manufacturer due to the fact thay sold a heap of so-so bikes during the trendy bike boom in the 70's.Just like Peugeot they made a whole range from boat anchors to TDF material but they tended more toward the touring side and made some very fine 531 tourers.If you can find an earlier model from the 50's you can be sure that it will be worth riding in the role for which it was designed.CheersRichard

I would like to thank you for sharing your bicycle wisdom. You saved me from purchasing a souless low end hybrid that would have cost me (and my family) much more than we could afford.

Since stumbling across your post I have been lucky enough to find some great stuff on hard rubish collections. I have just completed my first bike, a Repco Superlite Burgundy and lilac forks (much like the one seen on the first and 15th page of the Repco app society post). I am now working on a Repco Superlite for a mate and a Gordonson Step through ladies bike for the wife.

I tend not to leave the house on a weekend before reviewing your sage words and always find they direct me towards some great stuff that others cannot recognise the value.

baysieskip wrote:Since stumbling across your post I have been lucky enough to find some great stuff on hard rubish collections. I have just completed my first bike, a Repco Superlite Burgundy and lilac forks (much like the one seen on the first and 15th page of the Repco app society post). I am now working on a Repco Superlite for a mate and a Gordonson Step through ladies bike for the wife.

Nice to hear of the neglected good'uns getting some attention baysieskip - having just re-read the post myself there's not too much I would change in it, although the number of decent bikes showing up at our tip seems to have diminished quite markedly. I hope somebody who knows 90s mountain bikes can come up with a similar checklist because there are a bunch of them and frankly I have no idea what I'm looking at other the ratio of junk/keepers seems much higher than with old roadies.

Post some pics of your bikes!

So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gildingbut really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

Slowly working towards 10 posts (I understand that is the golden number that I need to post pictures). Your onto something with MTB's, there are so many out on the curb. We just did a massive hard rubbish collection in our area, and given I am pretty skint for cash I brought a few nothing to do to them MTB's home that had been discarded (could of had my choice of 10's of problem bikes). I looked over the internet, these bikes where or slighty better than Kmart quality- awful characteristics like those hand spinning gear changes and poor quality no name components, 'Falcon'. Long story short- taken of my hands in less than a day and they paid for the new tyres and tubes on the superlite.

It's sure something to salvage a bad bike and use it save a great bike.

that's a very true statement kempie, in my parent's time a quality pushbike was treated with the same respect/value as a motor vehicle. even motor vehicles are treated as a throw away item by a lot of people these days

drubie wrote: I hope somebody who knows 90s mountain bikes can come up with a similar checklist because there are a bunch of them and frankly I have no idea what I'm looking at other the ratio of junk/keepers seems much higher than with old roadies.

It's not just you, MTBs are virtually not worth looking at. Because MTBs took over from 3 speeds as 'basic transport' bikes, people associate MTB with things like Huffys, so they don't value them at all. Seriously, find a nice MTB and try to get some money for it. Case in point, recently found a Specialized MTB, and a Specialized road bike. Both aluminium frames, similar sort of quality, put the same amount of time and money into fixing them up. Roady went for $300, MTB $100. There are good retro MTBS out there to be found but VERY VERY rare, and barely worth stopping to pick up unless you want it for yourself.

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

drubie wrote: I hope somebody who knows 90s mountain bikes can come up with a similar checklist because there are a bunch of them and frankly I have no idea what I'm looking at other the ratio of junk/keepers seems much higher than with old roadies.

It's not just you, MTBs are virtually not worth looking at. Because MTBs took over from 3 speeds as 'basic transport' bikes, people associate MTB with things like Huffys, so they don't value them at all. Seriously, find a nice MTB and try to get some money for it. Case in point, recently found a Specialized MTB, and a Specialized road bike. Both aluminium frames, similar sort of quality, put the same amount of time and money into fixing them up. Roady went for $300, MTB $100. There are good retro MTBS out there to be found but VERY VERY rare, and barely worth stopping to pick up unless you want it for yourself.

All true. Although we are lucky in that way, in aus you can still pick up a high end and sometimes even rare(ish) 90's mountain bike for $150 and for $400 have it done up as you would have back in the day for thousands. not worth trying to sell them true but as long as there's room in the backyard for another shed that's not a problem!

A couple of good basic tips for hunting out quality early mountain bike would be if it has cantilever brakes it's usually 96 or earlier and the running gear will more often than not give away if the bike is worth while. LX - XT or XTR shimano usually mean a higher end bike late 80's bikes will often sport nice suntour gear.

If you have the name of the bike in the ad try searching this site http://www.bikepedia.com/ it will often give you the full original spec year and retail price

Avoid at all costs and mountain bike with caliper brakes.

If you're really keen it's worth stopping into bike shops that look like they have been around for a while and asking if they have anything lying around from the 90's. all those super expensive anodized its and bobs often were hard to sell and end up buried at the back of the shop.. country towns are especially good.

ldrcycles wrote:but i don't do mtb anymore so they're just sitting around til i get to them.

Neither do I really, but such a collectable rarity at the price I paid was too good to pass up. It may get townie treatment and be used for shopping and library runs yet. Slicks Guards and a porteur rack kind of thing. Lugged MTB frames are the coolest in my eyes.

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